Visual Impairment Aid DIY Kit Turns You into Daredevil

Instructables member Patrick aka Mizchief100 made what he calls the Visual Impairment Aid or VIA, a wrist-mounted device that alerts the wearer of nearby objects by vibrating and emitting a beeping noise. It’s like the Spider Sense toy but in a more practical form, not to mention one that you can build yourself.

Like the Spider Sense toy, the VIA uses an ultrasonic distance sensor. Patrick added a buzzer and two vibrating motors to provide feedback. He also made a 3D-printed case for the device, adding Braille labels to its power switch and two buttons. One of the buttons lets the wearer select whether to use haptic, audio or both types of feedback. The other button switches between long and short distance modes: “…in short distance mode the beeping/vibrating is scaled so it’s easier to tell differences between things close up (<3 feet) and long distance mode makes it easier to tell things far away (~10 feet max).”

Head to Instructables to find out how you can make your own VIA. If you’re looking for a more practical version of Patrick’s device, check out the UltraCane.